So peaceful and lovely, Joan! What is your secret with the orchids? I know you have them in other spots in your home and they all look gorgeous! I've always heard they are finicky and difficult...what's your experience been?Heidi @ Show Some Decor

I love your bathroom! That vanity is incredible (I remember the post from when you found it!)

And all of your marble bird baths (I only have two) but I love how your grouped them together.

I have a question...I have always heard that your shouldn't keep fine art in the bathroom because of steam and moisture, but your paintings (I spy your new watercolor) really add so much to the room. Are you worried about something like that or no?

And is that a mini-bay window seat in the shower! There is so much to look at! Off to show my mom!Cali

yes, yes, yes! been waiting on this one for a long time. and it was so worth it. Beautiful wall color and the vanity blew me away. Joan, did you design and place everything in your home yourself? You have an amazing style and I relish seeing all your rooms like this. thank you so much for being so generous! donna

I know it is so wrong to covet thy neighbor's goods, but man I am soooo covering yours! I gasped when I saw the first picture and was close to tears by the time I had looked at all the pictures! You have such a gift, such talent! Another remarkable beautiful room!

O.M.Goodness, this is amazingly gorgeous!!!! Every single thing in this bathroom is perfection. I love every detail!!!!! So many unexpected things that work perfectly together!!!! Gorgeous, my jaw is hanging open!!!!!! XO, Pinky

Oh this turned out so nice! I'm so glad you didn't paint that mahogany piece you used for the sink! It looks soooo...... nice! :) Your mercury glass accents with that green (celadon?) look so great- and that bit if silver in the frame above is perfect! Your soft color on the wall works perfectly with your pictures! Gee your good! :) I truly do love this!

Oh my goodness, what incredible photographs! What a gorgeous and truly magnificent room! I'm in love with every detail! I just found your blog and it's great, you are living in my dream area! I'm in Texas and I love it too.

It popped into my mind the other day that if I was ever lucky enough to have a designer or an architect ask me 'what is your style" or "show us some examples of rooms you love" I would just say your house. Every room is gorgeous and welcoming.

joan...it's friday... very late afternoon...end of a long work day...end of a long work week... and here, in your special space, i have found the gift of much-needed refreshment. my thanks, my friend. weekend joy to you in return. - xok.

So gorgeous. I confess, sometimes I contrive ways to accidentally meet you. Your house and style is so incredible, and so what I wish I was doing, that I can't help but believe we would be bosom buddies.

I think all the rooms in your home are perfection. The colors, textures, use of space and overall attention to detail resonate with me. I love your style.I'm particularly loving the shutters in your master bath. Would love for you to share details about them. I like the contrast of dark hardware to the white shutter.Thanks for sharing.

thank you for visiting farmhouse kitchen and leaving the kind words...

where are you in new hampshire, i LOVE new england...we visited portsmouth and keene on our way to stay at the ol' tavern in Grafton...and then on up into vermont and across into Maine...i have a problem though...i get so HOMESICK for my pets i can hardly enjoy myself :-{

i just love all my "kids" so much !!!!

so happy to stop by today for a visit...always enjoy my visit with you

I love your house, its land and your style. And the bath is lovely. But if you are open to what I hope is constructive feedback, then I will say that I found my eye needing a place to rest: an unadorned table top or a quiet wall between all the beauty. But maybe that's just me.

I found you through Trina at A Country Farmhouse. Your home is just as beautiful as hers! I grew up in Vermont, so your NH house speaks to me. You may have close to my dream kitchen. It's all just so beautiful! I live in a small Cape in Massachusetts now, but I try to make it as serene and charming and vintage as I can, and this is a tremendous inspiration. Best wishes!Amy

OUTSTANDING IN EVERY WAY! Utterly beautiful; these pics should be in Architectural Digest. Love the overall big picture of the palette and style: the lighter tones balanced with palest aquas and silver. Gorgeous! Love the details: the way the shower door, chair and rug all flow at the same angle, the collection of bird baths, the vanity arrangement. Every inch shows careful thought and planning. OUTSTANDING IN EVERY WAY!

joan, have you been approached by all the shelter mags (that are left, anyway) to have your home photographed? If not, they should be calling you incessantly after seeing this bathroom. Simply beautiful! You have such a gorgeous home and a natural "eye" for well edited, clean, warm and classic spaces. Bravo!

Joan, the first few images had my mouth gaping but when the vanity image showed itself I had to pick myself up off the floor...truly stunning! And seeing your perfect little corner nook with the comfy chair did me in completely, in the loveliest of ways. You've created such a special retreat...it just couldn't be more beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing!xo J~

Love the bathroom Joan...very inspiring. I am hoping to build an ensuite soon, squeezing into my existing bedroom space but it will only be 2.7m x .9m I don't know what that is in American, but read small!!!! Still small can be interesting!

Fantastic! I can't believe how many of the same looks I've used in my master bath...ie the color & furniture vanity. Big difference is yours is finished! I'm going to hold on to these pics for continued inspiration. Congrats...

I just clicked on and went back to read your post when you 'finally' found your vanity - which BTW is exactly my dining sideboard. The marble top looks perfect. The tone of the wood against the white bath is gorgeous. You lovely lady, have a great eye for blending and defining elements together.

I cannot stop staring at the photos of your beautiful bathroom! I love all the natural light, the soft colors, the stunning fixtures, the wood floors and that beautiful marble-topped antique buffet-turned bathroom sink! I actually have the same one in my dining room (without the marble, but I'm guessing you added that later?). I've been thinking about selling it, but I may just hold onto it cause I LOVE how it looks in a bathroom! Do you still have the use of the drawers and cabinets? Can't wait to read more about this lovely room. Perfection! In every way!

Amazing masterbath! Can you tell me what color the paint is? Also, what is the width and depth of your double-sink vanity? We're considering doing something similar but the buffet we're looking at is 65" wide.

This is the first time I've visited you blog! The sweet gal from the lettered cottage blog sent me your way! I LOVE that hide rug! Can I ask where you got it! I can't wait to read everything on your blog! And your pup is also adorable!

hi heidi! thank you, and yes there is a detailed post on the bath... if you click "the room details" at the very bottom of this post it will take you there!! or you can also find it by clicking "master bath" on the TOPICS OF INTEREST on my sidebar.

I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire (1 traffic light!) and my parents still live there. Your description and the style with which you decorated your farmhouse exactly captures the spirit I love so much about home. Thank you for sharing!

From the moment I saw the sweet little chest in your foyer, we could be best friends! I had the same issues with our master bath and even had a wonderful sideboard much like yours, but was chased away trying to make two sinks work with the measurements. I see it didn't deter you! Are you still ok with the sinks visually overlapping the middle drawer space?I would love your opinion before I make any last minute decisions.

Your rooms are gorgeous, but I have to be honest and say that I find the dead cow skins on the floors to be disrespectful, sad and cruel. There's something very disturbing about decorating our homes with the skins of animals who have been violently killed for no ethically-justifiably reason. But maybe (hopefully) they're faux?

Hi there. I just stumbled upon your blog, and am very excited to see your retro-fit double sink vanity unit. I have been collecting pictures of old units, and have been harboring the idea that I could get someone to fit sinks into them, and a carrera marble top on the top. Do you mind me asking how you went about doing this? Was it a friendly plumber or stone mason, or both, who helped you with this?

My house is an Edwardian (1907) semi in Buckinghamshire, UK, and is currently undergoing major renovations. I really want to redecorate with a tradtional style with a modern take but staying true to the house's Edwardian roots - I LOVE your style. I have been copying and pasting photos of your french doors and bathroom tiles in particular. Can you also tell me how wide your french doors are? I have just designed mine to be 80 cm wide each, with 80cm sidelights - but I worry that this might be too wide to look right... Sorry, just blathering now! Thanks for reading x

hi Suzie, Yes- we used a carpenter, plumber and stone mason to complete the job. They had never done anything like this, but with a little extra guidance and explanation of what I wanted in the finished product, they got the job done. My french doors in the master bedroom (which are the doors I believe you are asking about?) measure 68" total- that's for the entire double framed opening (sorry, you're going to have to do the conversion;) Hope this answers your questions.

Welcome! Thank you for leaving a comment; you have no idea how much your comments inspire me to keep writing- I appreciate each and every one. Comments are moderated by me prior to publishing on the blog, so if you don't see your comment post immediately it will be posted as soon as I receive it and read it. joan

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"when every corner speaks of possibility I know that I am home." -unknown-

Twelve years ago I could not have even pointed out New Hampshire on a map, but here we are! Nine years ago, after living for 15 years in the beehive that is Dallas, Dan and I finally escaped and landed in a very small town in New Hampshire that doesn't even have a traffic light. Perfection! Our move was a huge risk, but it has paid off with dividends and we absolutely love it here. I think we are really Yankees at heart. If you've never been to New England I cannot describe it with adequate words, you really just have to experience it. It is like no other part of the country. Its beauty matches our beloved Colorado, Oregon, and Washington and its spirit (Live Free or Die) is reminiscent of Texas, and the people... well, we have found them to be most genuine. In essence... we feel as if we have arrived home!

the living room

the kitchen

the dining room

the reading room

the master bedroom

the master bath

the North guest room

the South guest room

the guest bath

the barn room

the summer barn room

the barn half bath

the barn mud room

With the eyes to see it and the hands to create it, we can recover the home that the soul desires.
-A. Lawlor-

to send a note, mail to...

fortheloveofahouse@comcast.net

my paint and stain colors:

It's a house with rooms that reflect a place, a feeling, a memory of the past.-unknown-

Simplicity-Making your life a creative work of art. A great piece of art is composed not just of what is in the final piece, but equally important, what is not. It is the discipline to discard what does not fit- to cut out what might have already cost days or even years of effort.